Describe your first bike and what you were thinking? It was a 2003 Yamaha SR 125cc, which I bought after scouring Autotrader and eBay over the winter. I wanted a decent bike to get practising on without being intimidated by the potential for it to break down, and when I found that little one it was in great condition, having barely ever been ridden.

It was eventually nicknamed Romeo (not by me!) because I used to park it below my old bedroom window in Hackney and look down at it every now and then to check it was still there!

Current ride? I'm riding a 2011 Triumph Bonneville SE which I’ve had for about a year now. It's my first big bike and I love it to pieces.

Amy and Romeo. Pic by Richard Ibrahim

What made you want to learn to ride? Way back in primary school I had a teacher who rode a pink sports bike - six-year-old me thought that was the coolest thing in the world, and that’s what sowed the seed. After a few trips on the back of my stepdad’s bike in my teens, it was always in my mind and so a few years ago I finally did my CBT.

"Way back in primary school I had a teacher who rode a pink sports bike - six-year-old me thought that was the coolest thing in the world, and that’s what sowed the seed."

What do you wish you knew before you started riding? If I’d known how much fun it is and all the amazing people I’d meet through riding, then I’d have started sooner! But really, I wish I’d known a bit more about mechanics and maintenance because going to see potential bikes on my own with zero knowledge made it all the more difficult.

What skill would you like to master? I won't lie, my cornering could better, but also any of those amazing tricks that Cassandra Ryder does - it would be so cool to be able to do that stuff.

Have you ever crashed? Tell us about it. Thankfully, no - other than a couple of minor run-ins and dropping (christening) the Bonnie.

Do you know any life hacks? If you pierce the top of an open can of beer to make another hole then it's way smoother (and quicker) to drink from!

What takes up too much of your time? Nerding out on Triumph Rat, Chop Cult, Instagram, and all those other cool sites for ideas about future bikes and what I can do to the Bonnie!

What’s your favourite bike event? Camp VC! The all-girl vibe is so different from anything else and riding around the Brecon Beacons is such an amazing experience.

Have you ever had a run-in with the police? Not on the bike, but I did call them in a panic once when a ‘burglar’ was in my house… they arrived with the blue lights going and, embarrassingly, it turned out to be my cat that’d set an alarm off.

"…I was half-convinced the Yamaha wasn't going to make it, but riding through the forests with a bunch of other girls for the first time was beautiful."

Most interesting place you’ve been on your bike? The most interesting trip was riding to Wales on my 125cc (when I still had L-plates) because we had to take the long way there to avoid motorways. It was LONG, uncomfortable and I was half-convinced the Yamaha wasn't going to make it, but riding through the forests with a bunch of other girls for the first time was beautiful. I have the best memories of that journey.

Bucket list road trip destinations? SO many - riding along the coast in the South of France and into Monaco and Italy is at the top, the Furka Pass in the Alps is high on my list, too. I have family in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and really want to ride up there to visit them as well.

What are you looking forward to in the coming months? Well, like most people, I’m looking forward to the lockdown easing, sunshine, enjoying some time on the road, and hanging out with friends. I had a European road trip planned for August which looks unlikely now, but there’ll definitely be some kind of adventure this year!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received…and the worst? The best is probably to trust your gut feelings and to stand your ground, and the worst was obviously so bad that I forgot about it!

"Before one of my first ever ride-outs on the 125cc, I managed to get it stuck in between someone’s Harley and a table and chairs while trying to park at the Bike Shed."

An embarrassing moment? Before one of my first ever ride-outs on the 125cc, I managed to get it stuck in between someone’s Harley and a table and chairs while trying to park at the Bike Shed. It seems so straightforward now but at the time I completely failed at manoeuvring it, and the owner of said Harley had to come and do it for me. I’m pretty sure my face went tomato-red.

Favourite bike you’ve ridden that isn’t yours? This is not a glam or exciting bike, but one I was most surprised by was a Yamaha XJ6. Until I tried it, sports styles had never really interested me, but it was just so much fun and so easy to ride. I can definitely see myself getting something sportier when I have a big enough garage!

If money was no object, I would buy… A double - no, wait - triple-wide garage or lockup fully equipped with all the tools you’d ever need to build a bike. And then I’d take a whole year off to do the road trips I just mentioned. Oh, and I’d also employ a personal chef to make me croissants every morning because… priorities.

Apart from anything bike related, what do you do to let your hair down? (You mean apart from my not-so-secret love of Sean Paul?) I'm always down for going to a gig or having brunch with friends and, when I can find the time, love to spend all day drawing.

Do you have any projects or trips coming up? I’ve been using this quarantine downtime to brush up on motorcycle mechanics which has been a great learning curve. As soon as we can get back out on the road I’ll be eagerly replanning the postponed Europe trip, which is going to take us through France, Belgium and the Netherlands (if you have any suggestions on places to stop then hit me up!)

How can everyone have more fun? By wearing more sparkles, eating as many croissants as you like and just by being kind to others : )

Anything else…? Uhhhhh… nope! That's all folks.

Find Amy here on the 'gram and here to see more of the writing she works on when she isn't writing for Hairpin!

Photos by Charlie McKay